Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

Biegha operates the Biegha marketplace platform. We are the data controller responsible for your personal data.

Contact: For privacy enquiries, submit a privacy request.

2. Personal Data We Collect

Account Information

• Email address (for authentication and communication)
• Password (stored securely hashed)
• Display name and profile information you provide
• Phone number (optional, for verification)

Listing and Transaction Data

• Listings you create (titles, descriptions, photos, prices)
• Messages exchanged with other users
• Offers, reservations, and reviews
• Transaction history with Biegha services (Boost, subscriptions)

Technical Data

• Device information and browser type
• IP address (for security and fraud prevention)
• Usage data (pages visited, features used)

Locally Stored Preferences

Some preferences are stored on your device only (not sent to our servers):

• Language preference (English or Maltese)
• Browsing location filter (Malta, Gozo, specific area)
• Recently viewed listings (for guests)

3. How We Use Your Data

4. Who We Share Data With

Other Users

Your public profile, listings, and reviews are visible to other users. Messages are shared with the recipients you communicate with.

Service Providers

We use the following third-party processors:

• Supabase (database and authentication) — EU data residency
• Stripe (payment processing) — for Biegha service payments only
• Resend (email delivery) — transactional emails

Legal Requirements

We may disclose data when required by law, to comply with legal process, or to protect rights and safety.

5. International Transfers

Our primary database is hosted in the EU (via Supabase). Some service providers may process data outside the EU under appropriate safeguards (Standard Contractual Clauses or adequacy decisions).

6. Data Retention

• Account data: Retained while your account is active and for a reasonable period after closure for legal and dispute purposes.
• Listings: Retained while published; archived after deletion for dispute resolution.
• Messages: Retained while both parties have active accounts.
• Payment records: Retained as required by tax and accounting law (typically 7 years).

7. Your Rights

Under GDPR, you have the right to:

• Access — Request a copy of your personal data
• Rectification — Request correction of inaccurate data
• Erasure — Request deletion of your data
• Portability — Receive your data in a structured format
• Restriction — Request limited processing in certain cases
• Objection — Object to processing based on legitimate interests

To exercise these rights, visit Privacy Settings in your account. If you cannot access your account, submit a privacy request.

You can also lodge a complaint with the Office of the Information and Data Protection Commissioner (Malta's supervisory authority) at idpc.org.mt.

8. Cookies and Local Storage

We use cookies and local storage for essential functionality only:

• Authentication cookies (to keep you signed in)
• Language preference
• Location filter preference

We do not use analytics, advertising, or tracking cookies. See our Cookie Policy for details.

9. Security

We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your data, including encryption in transit and at rest, access controls, and regular security reviews.

10. Children

Biegha is not intended for users under 18 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has provided data to us, please contact us.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of material changes by email or through the platform.